Make your own mee and charsiu

I mentioned a couple posts ago that one of the very best ways to enjoy homemade wontons is with noodles and charsiu (roast pork), i.e. as part of a perfect plate of wonton mee. What I should have said also is that to really make that dish special, you should also make the charsiu and the noodles yourself.

Before you start getting freaked out, let me assure you that both are surprisingly easy to make. Just give yourself some time to prepare both items properly. And I promise that if you do make the effort and take the time to make not just your wontons but also your mee and charsiu, you will be super pleased with the results. And your guests — or whomever you decide to serve these to — will be in a state of culinary euphoria.

The recipes that S and I have found most trustworthy for charsiu and mee both come from the same amazing food writer and restaurateur, Barbara Tropp. Her cookbook The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking is still, to us, today unrivalled among Chinese cookbooks for its accuracy, clarity, and ease of use. It still sometimes amazes us that a diminutive Jewish-American woman is the authority we trust most when searching for a great Chinese recipe. Of course, as all home cooks do, we’ve tweaked Ms Tropp’s recipes a little to suit our own tastes as well as our kitchen equipment. You may also find that for your tastes and in your kitchen you might need to make some necessary adjustments.

Once your ingredients are all ready, preparing a hearty bowl of wonton mee is easy. All you have to do is slice the pork, cook your wontons and drain them, then cook your noodles. The only thing you need to worry about is the sauce in which you are going to toss all of these yummy ingredients. Hailing from Singapore, I will admit, I like a very local version in which tomato ketchup is a main ingredient. I’m also not big on spicy food so I leave out the heat in my sauce. Hot food fans out there are welcome to add in anything from spicy bean paste to chilli oil, to taste. A breakdown of my favourite sauce which should be enough for 2-3 portions of noodles is 3 tablespoons ketchup, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce, 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rich chicken stock, and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. All of this gets stirred up in a mixing bowl or measuring jug. Make sure you taste it. You might like your sauce sweeter or saltier or with a stronger sesame taste, etc. Place your noodles and wontons in a large bowl, spoon sauce over it to taste, and mix gently but quickly. Then plate and place your roast pork slices on top of the noodles. You can also serve this with some blanched green vegetables or some diced spring onions.

Cut the pork lengthwise into strips around 2.5-3 inches wide and 2 inches or so thick. Cut strips crosswise, if needed, into pieces 6-8 inches long. Place in a large baking dish that can accomodate all the pork in one layer. Pour the marinade over the pork. Seal the dish with clingwrap overnight, at least 12 hours and ideally 24 hours. Turn the pork a few times during the marinating process. Keep in the fridge but bring to room temperature right before cooking.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. Fill a large roasting pan half-way with water. Over this, place a large wire rack that fits over the top of the pan. Drain the marinade from the pork and lay the pieces on the wire rack (and over the water in the roasting pan). Pop this in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, increase the heat of the oven to 230 degrees C for 5 minutes or until the pork gets a nice dark, golden, crispy crust.

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a deep well in the center of the flour. Lightly beat the eggs with the water and then add into the well. With chopsticks or a wooden spoon, stir slowly at first from the center to incorporate the flour, then vigorously to form a firm dough, adding water by droplets if needed to bring the dough together. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, then knead by hand until fingertip-firm, smooth, and elastic enough so that the dough bounces gently when pressed with a finger, about 10 minutes. Smooth the oil over the dough, seal airtight in clingwrap, then set aside to rest for 20 minutes to 3 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before rolling out.

You’ll need a pasta machine to roll out the dough. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and cover with a cloth against drying. Remove and flatten the first piece with your palm or several rolls of a rolling pin into an approximate rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Smooth cornstarch on both sides, then pass the dough through the widest roller settimg. Fold the dough into thirds, folding one end towards the middle and the other on top. Flatten firmly so that the dough passes through the rollers without tearing. Smooth cornstarch on both sides and turn the dough 90 degrees so it enters the rollers on an unfolded end. Feed through the roller. Repeat this process 2 or 3 more tumes at the same setting. The dough needs to be smooth and unwrinkled.

Turn the machine one notch to the next thinnest setting. Dust the dough with the cornstarch and feed it through the roller. Proceed to turn the setting one notch thinner, dust the dough, and feed it through until you have a band that is 1/16 inch thick.

Spread the dough on a towel to dry, about 7-8 minutes on each side, or until the dough has firmed up slightly and will pass through the cutters with ease. As soon as one band is done, proceed with the next piece of dough. You can keep the thin bands supple by covering them with a towel.

The dough must be cut while supple and slightly firm. Fit the machine with the 1/16 inch head. Dust cornstarch on both sides of the first dough band, then send it through the cutter. Stretch the noodles in one long hank and use a sharp knife to cut it crosswise in two, to yield noodles about 15 inches long. Toss the noodles on a cornstarch-dusted surface to coat the newly cut edges, then spread to dry on a terry towel-lined tray. Fluff occasionally, allowing the noodles to firm up 5-10 minues before cooking.

You can leave the noodles uncovered 1 hour before cooking. Or if you intend to hold them longer, cover with plastic wrap or a towel and place in your fridge.

Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his two kids!

24 Comments

I used to think it isnt worth the while to cook hawker style food at home, cause it was cheap and good outside. Sadly, good hawker fare is disappearing, replaced by the insipid foodcourt stuff. This is a great post! I will try the Charsiu first chance I get!

Thanks so much for the recommendation of Barbara’s book, I must check it out if it gets this sort of feedback. I look forward to trying the recipe because anything that guarantees me a state of culinary euphoria works for me.

THANK YOU for the noodle recipe. I’ve been tinkering with a few and yours is by far the most comprehensive and thorough. I’m also glad that you use pork neck for the charsiu. I’m so keen to try the two recipes. Thanks again.

I read so much about Huber’s Butchery from Food & Travel mags my sister sent me. Would love to stop by when I’m in S’pore 🙂 Would love to learn how to do ‘La mien’ style 😀

The Egg Noodles is so interesting. I made fresh pasta before but not the Chinese Egg Noodles. Most of times we bought off the shelves or market & knew that it’s been mix with additives and coloring. This recipe is great when there’s no time to go to the market or supermarket and when I’m really lazy to hit the road.

Is it ok if I use 48 % Rice wine (a local brand that’s what I have in stock) or is better with Shaoxing Hua Diao Jiu? Will the Charsiu taste better if higher alcohol % like 63% – 65% is used?

Thank you for sharing the recipes. You blog’s one of my favourite. Looking forward to try out your recipes!

Thanks for this recipe! I wonder if executed well, whether this will top Fei Fei wanton mee @ Joo Chiat Place. I am talking here about the recipe’s composition and taste of course, I’m expecting the homemade char siu and wantons to come out looking gnarly at first attempt.

Nice! 2 posts about wonton mee, you must really LOVE wonton mee as much as I do.. Though having ketchup in noodles is a big no-no to us Cantonesey folks.. 🙂

What I would REALLY like to see next, as a contrast against this chinese dish would be how to make the PERFECT home-made fries. Believe it or not, I’ve been waiting for that to happen here since http://www.chubbyhubby.net/blog/?p=520 !

Previous attempts by me have resulted in oil-sogged mess after more oil-sogged mess, with only 1-2 exceptions that produced acceptable fries.

Hi CH,
I was searching for a cookbook when I stumbled upon your post on Using up bananas. U mentioned your wife contributed to a cookbook that reminded her of home..that was what I was looking for! May I pls enquiry the title of the cookbook and where about I can find it pls? Thank you!

Yum! I love egg noodles especially – are they difficult? Thank you for your recipe – your blog is delicious. I just did a post about my detox, but as soon as that is over i’m going to try this – or perhaps your wontons.
Love henryhttp://henryorangutangle.blogspot.com/

Tried the char siu recipe yesterday. I used pork collar instead of pork neck, and marinated the meat for 1 day. Used chopped garlic and omitted the scallions – but the results were still amazing! My in-laws are cantonese and they loved it. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I’m gonna try this with chicken next time and see if it works as well

Hello! Is it possible to add more char siew filling? (I want my buns to be bursting with the filling because my family and I absolutely adore char siew) what modifications should I make to the recipe if I want alot of char siew in one bread though?